


Once Upon a Dream Jekyll Has Communication Skills

by Model_of_Propriety



Category: Jekyll & Hyde - Wildhorn/Wildhorn & Bricusse & Cuden/Bricusse
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Era, F/M, Jekyll actually communicates with his fiancée, Lisa is awesome, One Shot, implications of not-so-nice things, totally unheard-of I know
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-12 10:15:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28633848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Model_of_Propriety/pseuds/Model_of_Propriety
Summary: Lisa, worried about her fiancé, decides to go check on him. What she discovers in his lab is far worse than she could have ever imagined.
Relationships: Lisa Carew/Henry Jekyll
Kudos: 15





	Once Upon a Dream Jekyll Has Communication Skills

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a huge fan of Lisa, and I wish the musical included her more. Her character has so much potential, and I wanted to see how she would react if Jekyll actually decided to communicate with her.
> 
> Kudos and comments give me life, but I won't publish any comments that swear.

“Henry?” Lisa called out as she entered her fiancé’s lab. She hadn’t seen him in weeks, and Utterson’s report hadn’t eased any of her worries. Now, with all the frightening murders occurring, she was determined to at least see Henry and make sure he was okay. 

Her goal, however, seemed to be in vain, for Henry was nowhere to be seen. Still, Lisa figured, he was bound to be back soon; according to Poole, Henry rarely left his lab for longer than a few minutes. 

While she searched for a place to sit and wait, Lisa caught a glimpse of Henry’s journal lying open on his table. What _was_ he doing locked up all these weeks? Hadn’t the Board refused him a subject? 

Chiding herself, Lisa picked up his journal. 

_The experiment is out of control_ _._

What experiment? Was it the reason he locked himself away? What had her dear Henry gotten himself into? Lisa flipped back to the entry on September 13th, the night of their engagement party. The last night she had seen him. 

_September 13_ _th_ _, 11:5_ _6_ _pm_

_I have started this alone, and I must finish it alone._ _There is no longer a choice. I know that I must use myself as the subject of the experiment_ _._

Lisa paused, blinking back tears. _You aren’t alone, Henry_ _! Y_ _ou have me_ _!_ Fearing what she would find, Lisa read on. 

_11:58 pm_

_Consumed_ _10 centiliters of formula HJ7. Salty, bitter taste. Stings the tongue, warm in the gullet_ _. Heat spreading strongly through my veins. A slight feeling of euphoria_ _. Lightheadedness. No noticeable behavioral differences_ _._

_Something is happening; I can’t explain. Something inside me, a breathtaking pain_ _, devours and consumes me, and drives me insane_ _!_

Henry, what did you do? 

_Something is taking hold!_

_Suddenly out of breath_

_What is this?_

_Is this death?_

Lisa looked down at the next line, her heart stopping as she saw the handwriting was nothing like her fiancé’s. 

_Midnight_

_An unexpected development._

Who finished the journal? Lisa needed to find answers. She flipped through the next entries, hoping to find a clue. 

_September 14_ _th_ _,_ _5_ _:00 am_

_This is a strange new, sweet sensation. I am younger, lighter, happier_ _in both body and soul. Twice as alive, and tenfold more wicked, which intoxicates and delights me like wine_ _, adding fearful new hardships to my desperate battle for success._

_September 20_ _th_ _,_ _10:50 am_

_The experiments are now in their second week. The transformations are beyond imagining. Unspeakable nightmares besiege my senses_ _. The most racking pains and a horror of the spirit that exceeds all dreams_ _of death._

_September 25_ _th_ _, 8:00 pm_

_I have radically altered the balance of the formula_ _to contain and overcome the powerful and darker forces at work inside me. I am aware of my peril_ _and the need to control Hyde’s evil influence, which disappears within me like a stain of breath_ _upon a mirror._

_He has found the perfect hiding place._

“What are you _doing_ here?!” a voice said behind her. Lisa spun around to find Henry inches from her face. He snatched the journal out of her hands and slammed it closed. 

“I wanted to see you,” Lisa stammered, backing away. “We haven’t spoken a word to each other since the engagement party, and I was worried about you!” 

“Did Poole let you in? I told him I wasn’t seeing anyone!” 

“He told me to wait in the parlor, but I saw the door to your lab was open and thought you might be in here.” 

“How long have you been in here? What did you see?!” 

“Only these few minutes!” Fighting her fear at seeing Henry so angry, Lisa cautiously approached him. “Henry, this is Lisa you’re yelling at! Can we not even have a civil conversation anymore?” She took his hand. “Please, _talk_ to me. What is it that’s consuming you? You can tell me anything.” 

Henry crumpled before her. “I’m sorry, Lisa,” he said. “I want to tell you. Really, I do. But I can’t even explain it to myself, much less you.” 

Lisa guided him to a chair and sat down beside him. “Imagine you are presenting your work to other scientists; what would you say?” 

Henry looked at her, giving a wry smile. “Since that worked so well last time? The Board of Governors made it abundantly clear that I cannot explain my work to anyone.” 

Lisa shuddered. “That’s part of why I came here. My father’s the only Board member still living. He wants to leave before any danger comes to him or me. I told him I won’t leave without you.” She took Henry’s hand. “Please, come with us. We’ll all be safer away from here. I don’t know who’s killing off the Board members, but I don’t want to see you or Father get hurt.” 

Henry gave a dry, humorless laugh. “Trust me, Lisa. Nothing will change if we run away together. Besides, I can assure you that the murderer has had his fill for now. Your father isn’t in any danger from him.” 

“How do you know that?” 

“Let’s just say it’s a long story.” 

“Tell me. I’ll stay as long as you need to tell it.” 

Henry looked over at her, and she met his gaze, daring him to begin. “Very well,” he sighed. “What did you see in my journal? That should give us a good starting point.” 

“On the night of our engagement party, you decided to… to use yourself as a test subject. The formula caused some sort of terrible pain for you, and then _someone else_ finished your entry. You mentioned a Hyde. Was that his handwriting? Is he helping with your experiment?” 

Henry winced. “Yes, you could say that.” He fell silent for a few moments, then looked over at Lisa. “You have to promise me this before I tell you what is happening. Don’t leave me. I’ve made terrible choices, and I don’t want to lose you.” 

Lisa pulled him into a hug. “Henry,” she said as she pulled away, “I will never leave you. I’ve supported your work the whole time, and nothing you could say would change that.” 

Henry smiled weakly at her. “I suppose I’ve stalled long enough. 

“It all began the night of our engagement party. The Board refused me a test subject, and I didn’t know what to do. That night, when I was out with John, it occurred to me that I didn’t need a subject; I could use myself. I went back to my lab and took the formula. My journal entry doesn’t even begin to describe the terrible pain I felt as someone else took over my body. When the pain subsided, I was a completely different person. He was the one to finish the journal entry. 

“He named himself Edward Hyde.” 

Henry paused. “Lisa,” he said, “you must understand what Hyde is like. He is wicked and vile, but I cannot hate him. I created him, and he has such a wonderful love for life. As soon as I created him, I knew that I could be a danger to others. I decided to lock myself away until I knew I could control him. I tasked Poole with bringing me the chemicals I needed for the formula, and I altered my will so that – should Jekyll disappear – Hyde could continue my work. John was, shall we say, less than pleased with my new will.” He turned towards Lisa sharply. “You are the only one to know this much about Hyde. You cannot tell anyone else what I’m telling you now.” 

“I-I promise,” Lisa stammered. 

Relief spread across Henry’s face. “Thank you,” he said. “It is a relief to be able to share this burden with someone else. 

“If the experiment stayed as controlled as it begun, I doubt I would be as closed off as I am now. However, Hyde had other plans. He decided to get revenge on those that tried to prevent his creation. When I transformed into him, he left the lab and… killed the Bishop of Basingstoke.” 

Lisa scrambled backwards. “Y-He killed the Board members?” she asked. This was far worse than she had imagined. Her fiancé – well, his alter ego – committed those murders? 

Henry smiled ruefully. “I told you it wasn’t a pleasant story.” He grimaced, and a terrified look crossed his face. He rushed over to his table and began mixing chemicals together. “I wish the horrors stopped there,” he continued, seeming as if each word was a struggle to utter, “but it has gotten worse. Hyde has begun taking over without the use of the formula.” 

“Is he trying to now?” Lisa gasped. 

“I’m afraid so,” Henry forced out. “I’d suggest leaving if you don’t want to meet him!” 

Though her instincts told her to run, Lisa stood her ground. “No, I want to stay with you, whichever you that means.” 

Henry opened his mouth to reply, but an agonizing scream came out instead. Lisa fought against herself to stay where she was. Part of her wanted to run away and avoid meeting the murderer of her father’s colleagues, while yet another part wanted nothing more than to go comfort her fiancé. She stood paralyzed as she watched Henry writhe on the ground, screaming in pain. 

After what felt like an eternity, his screams subsided. He stood up, and Lisa saw a completely new man before her. This “Edward Hyde” was shorter and younger than her Henry, with long, unkempt hair hanging limply around his face. He looked up at her and flashed the most terrifying smile. It took all of Lisa’s willpower to remain where she was instead of bolting away. 

“Hello, Lisa,” he jeered. “It’s… _nice_ to finally meet you.” 

“Mr. Hyde,” she acknowledged stiffly. This man was nothing like Henry. His voice, his appearance, even the way he held himself; it was all _wrong_. 

“Jekyll has given a wonderful description of how I came to be, but I’m afraid he skipped over some of the more _unpleasant_ details.” 

What could be more unpleasant than murder? “And what would those be?” she asked, her voice betraying her by shaking. 

“Well, the story of a lovely Lucy Harris would, of course! After your lovely little party, your Henry went with his friend Utterson to a lovely establishment called the Red Rat and met Lucy. He was quite intrigued by her, and it was her that indirectly inspired him to test the formula on himself. After I was ‘born’, I sought her out, for I was quite enamored by her. Since then, I have sought her out several more times. Lucy has even visited Jekyll once or twice. Of course,” he added with a smirk, “she doesn’t know how _connected_ Jekyll and I are.” 

Lisa stumbled backwards, steadying herself with a chair. Why hadn’t Henry told her about this Lucy? If nothing had happened between them, why would he have needed to hide this from her? Or was Hyde lying to get under her skin? “Let Henry back out,” she found herself saying. “I want him to tell me himself.” 

Hyde laughed menacingly. “But we’ve barely met! Didn’t you want to know everything about your fiancé’s work?” 

“I want to hear it from him.” 

Hyde stalked over to the table. “Very well, you shall hear from him.” He took the formula Henry had begun mixing and added a few more chemicals. He raised the cup containing the formula towards Lisa. “To the truth,” he toasted mockingly, then downed the formula. The horrifying process of screams resumed, and Lisa found herself facing her fiancé once more. 

“I’m sorry, Lisa,” Henry panted as he tied his hair back. “I warned you about Hyde. He has a tendency to unnerve people.” 

He moved towards Lisa, but she kept her distance. “Who is Lucy?” 

Henry grimaced. “I didn’t want to involve her any more than necessary. Yes, she gave me the idea to test the formula on myself, and yes, she’s visited me here once, but _we_ are simply friends. Hyde, however, has other intentions with her. The only time she visited me was actually to get help; the last time Hyde has visited her, he had left her injured, and I was the only person she could turn to. I treated her wounds, and that was that.” 

Lisa wanted to believe him, but she couldn’t. He’d lied about so much lately. “Hyde made it sound as if you thought of her as more than a friend.” 

Henry looked up sharply. “Lisa, you own my heart; if nothing else, believe that. I can’t speak for Hyde’s feelings – or even Lucy’s, for that matter – but the heart of Henry Jekyll is and always has been the property of Lisa Carew.” 

Despite her reservations, Lisa found herself believing Henry. She closed the distance between them and pulled him into a hug. “Thank you for telling me everything; please, don’t push me away again.” 

Henry crumpled into her arms and burst into tears. “Thank you, Lisa,” he said between sobs. “This has been such a burden; you don’t know how much it means to me to have you here.” She held him for several minutes, then slowly let go once his sobs subsided. 

Lisa moved towards the door, then turned back to face Henry. “I’ll be back tomorrow; I suggest you get some rest. Heaven knows you need it.” She planted a soft kiss on his cheek. “Please Henry, get some sleep. I love you.” She turned back towards the door and walked out, her head reeling from all she had learned. 


End file.
